Customer Reviews

A Vampire for Christmas: Enchanted by Blood\Monsters Don't Do Christmas\When Herald Angels Sing\All I Want for Christmas (Hqn)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I loved two out of the four stories in this book and really wished both would have been longer. I generally stay away from anthologies because I tend to not like most of the stories and think it's a waste of money. I was pleasantly surprised by this one.

Enchanted by Blood by Laurie London was my favorite. It's part of the Sweetblood series and featured Trace and Charlotte. They reconnect over the holiday season and try to find happiness in their time together.

All I Want for Christmas by Alexis Morgan was also really good. I would've loved to learn more about the secondary characters. In this story was Della, a diner owner and Eagan, an undercover cop trying to bust a ring of vampires.

When Herald Angels Sing by Caridad Pineiro was a take on A Christmas Carol. Damien sees visions of the past and present brought to him by Angelina and together they have to change his future.

Monsters Don't Do Christmas by Michele Hauf was my least favorite. I didn't like Daniel and thought Olivia, a famous singer, came off as a little to immature. Just didn't "feel" it

A Vampire for Christmas Anthology
Harlequin ISBN: 978-0-373-77644-3
Enchanted by the Blood by Laurie London Sweetblood Series 2.5
Charlene Grant went out with her friend but was leaving alone. Kari took off with some guy she thought could help her climb the work ladder. On the way to her car two guys start coming after Charlene. She runs into a hard chest and a deep voice tells her to go to her car and wait. For some reason she feels safe with the stranger and does as he says.

Trace Westfalen felt an urgency to go to a part of town he usually did not frequent. Sure enough he found Charlene in trouble. A couple of Dark bloods were after her. He had her wait and she did. Bad mistake. A year ago Charlene had been hired to decorate the mansion for Christmas. During that time Trace spent a lot of time with her. Being a vampire it was never wise to get too close to a human but he did. Until the fateful night she walked into a room where Sebastian was feeding. The horror on her face left Trace with no choice but to wipe her memories. A year later and he stills feels for her what he never felt before.

Charlene could not believe she let Trace drive her home and then invited him in. She was not that kind of person and yet something about him was so familiar and safe. He left her the next morning and she did not hear from him for a week. He had hired her to decorate for their Christmas Party.

Trace could not stay away and he finally decided that being elected to Council or anything else in his life would not be worthwhile without Char. And once he told her the truth of who he was and that they knew each other, she still looked at him the same.

Monsters Don't Do Christmas by Michele Hauf
Daniel is a vampire, not by birth and not by choice. He was a hot shot on wall street until the night of his attack. Now he just considers himself a monster and just exists. Although he does see where his life slowed down and he can look back and see he was not all he thought he was.

Olivia considers herself a type of monster when she's all dressed up and made up to sing on stage. When she comes home to the quiet place she stays a few weeks out of the year she breaks up a fight and invites the man who was being beat up by two others into her home. So what that he ends up being a vampire. It ends up being more than a one night stand for Daniel and Olivia. Even though she is in the spotlight and he has to stay away from it. Can two such opposites actually fall in love and make a relationship work?
**Sexual situations and some language

When Herald Angels Sing by Caridad Pineiro
A century ago Damien was a different man. He did not realize Angelina's worth to him until she died to save him from Remirez, who then turned Damien into a vampire anyways. When Angelina returned a century later Damien could not believe it. She was light in his dark world. And both times he met her it was right before Christmas Eve. Once again Remirez the evil vampire he is, comes to tear them apart once again. And once again Angelina gets in the way and dies. It is now a year later and Damien is outside of his lighthouse watching, waiting and hoping for one more chance with her.
He does not know that she is really is guardian angel and that she is there to guide him to the right path.
She does come back again. She will need his help and he will have to face Remirez one more time and try to keep the demon that lives within him silent if he has any chance of saving Angelina and his own soul, which he had thought was lost long ago. Either way, it looks like their last Christmas Eve together.
**Sexual situations

All I Want For Christmas by Alexis Morgan
This was a great story. Eagan is an undercover cop and a vampire. He is searching for some young vampires who have been luring teens to drink from and they had found a few dead. His search had him near a diner and had him watching the beautiful owner of the diner, Della. He decided that hanging out at the diner may help him watch the area better. A friend of Della's gave him evil looks, he didn't know what had that she-wolf hating him but there had always been bad blood between the species.

Della was so drawn to Eagan, even though Lupe kept warning her to stay away from him. He had a sadness and loneliness about him. When she ends up cutting herself in the middle of the night, Eagan is there to help her and heal her. Della finds out quickly that the world around her was not what she had always thought it to be.
*Sexual situations.

**Received Through NetGalley for Review

Tis the season to be fangy...

Enchanted by Blood by Laurie London - A Sweet Bloods connected short - Trace's destiny didn't allow for the love of a human, so he erased Charlotte's memory of their love together, but fate has other ideas... This was pleasant enough, the preexisting connection makes the story work - even without her memories Charlotte feels drawn to Trace - my only issues were with terms from the world building: Darkbloods, Sweet bloods just struck me as being a bit cheesy. I like this one, but if it hadn't been a short story the painless (well at least for Trace) resolution of the main conflict would have bugged me. (I liked it)

Monsters Don't Do Christmas by Michele Hauf - A diva on holiday decides to learn how to take risks starting out by diving into a fling with a vampire - This one was pretty good too, I never really saw why the singer sees herself as a monster, but I liked that she is able to help the vamp to realize that even though he is a blood sucker in reality - he was a figurative killer in his former life - he doesn't have the soul of a monster. (I liked it)

When Herald Angels Sing by Caridad Piniero - Third time is the charm for a vampire and the woman he has loved and lost before, he has sworn that this time will be different - The ending was good, but I wasn't overly fond of what came before, I generally like Piniero's stories but there was just way too much sex and not enough development of the relationship for this grand love that the leading man has for a woman who has died immediately after each of their encounters in the past. (It was ok)

All I Want for Christmas by Alexis Morgan - On the hunt for a supernatural who is preying on teens, a loner vamp enforcer develops an attraction to a woman with a big heart. - This was my favorite of the stories, the woman is just so caring that there was no way the vamp was going to be able to stay away for her own good, and the reveal was done in a smooth way too, but I especially liked the secrets of her little 'family' as well. (I really liked it)

Enchanted by Blood by Laurie London. One year ago, Trace the vampire guardian and Charlotte the human fell in love. He left her erasing her memory of vampires. When his father a council member died Trace expected to inherit his seat but the others on the board stall his appointment. Trace rescues Charlotte from an assault and hires her to decorate his mansion, which feels like déjà vu to her. Trace must decide between his soulmate and the board.

Monsters Don't Do Christmas by Michele Hauf. Olivia intercedes during a brawl between Daniel the vampire and werewolves. The human kisses him and promises another tomorrow night. He learns she is a star singer and she learns he is helping a mother of two stop turning into a vampire.

When Herald Angels Sing by Caridad Pineiro. The devil demands Captain Pedro bring him the soul of Damien the vampire who has never killed anyone. However, Damien's beloved Angelina the angel sent to save him has died twice because of him. Pedro plans to use Angelina to force Damien to lose his soul by killing him.

All I Want for Christmas by Alexis Morgan. Undercover cop Eagan the vampire searches for a serial killer drinking the blood of human male teens. He stops at Della's diner for a coffee. She believes he is homeless so she offers him meals in exchange for odd jobs. Eagan notices her but also realizes this is a perfect cover to end the killing frenzy of a young vampire out of control.

These are four fun entertaining paranormal holiday romances starring engaging protagonists.

Harriet Klausner

"Enchanted By Blood" by Laurie London (Sweetblood #2.5)
After being a little disappointed with the last Sweetblood novella story I read, I was really hoping for a novella that captured the same super sexy and dangerous feel of the full length novels. And that's what I got. The story here manages to incorporate the depth of a long term relationship while still letting readers experience the thrill of a new couple meeting for the first time. Even though vampire Trance and human Charlotte had relationship prior to the start of this story, Charlotte doesn't remember it because of a mind wipe. It's kind of the best of both worlds. Trance already loves and cherishes Char when they `first' meet, but he has to win Char without ever revealing that. So, yes to the super sexy dangerous plot (courtesy of some nasty psycho vamps), but also yes to the tender love story too.

Sexual Content: A couple graphic sex scenes Rating: 4/5

"Monsters Don't Do Christmas" by Michelle Hauf
This story is the most Christmas-y of the anthology. It's a very unusual story, but that's part of why I ended up liking it. Human Olivia rescues vampire Daniel from an attack by werewolves (she things it's muggers), but when she learns what he is, she asks for a kiss as a reward. What follows is a romance that never goes the way you would expect, but ends up exactly where you want. They each see themselves as monsters for different reasons and together find their souls again. I think it might have worked better as a full length novel, but even at this length, the result is oddly beautiful.

Sexual Content: A couple graphic sex scenes Rating: 3/5

"When Herald Angels Sing" by Caridad Piñeiro

By far my least favorite story in the anthology. Plot holes, thin story, unlikeable and foolish characters are just a few of the problems I had in this story about a vampire forced to revisit the high and low points of his life by the woman he loves who is secretly an angel. She dies and is reborn several times throughout the course of his life, yet he is shocked to discover she isn't human...she meanwhile is basically raped by him in a public bar and then tossed to the ground when he's done and yet she feels bad for him when he has to relive the experience! I was completely done with caring about either of them at that point, but struggled through the rest of the story which amounted to one long repetitive sex scene after another. Seriously awful.

Sexual Content: Several long, graphic sex scenes including one that could be perceived as rape Rating: 1/5

"All I Want for Christmas" by Alexis Morgan Excerpt

This was the most charming story in the anthology, it really could end up being a Hallmark Christmas movie. The story is about a diner owner who is selflessly devoted to her quirky regulars and is quick to welcome a reticent new loner who shows up just before the holidays. Several cute scenes follow including the pair hanging lights together and getting caught under the mistletoe. But romance is never easy for the loner who has to hide the fact that he's a vampire cop sent to spy on the busboy who may be involved in blood selling. The dialogue had a tendency to drift into saccharine territory, especially the too schmaltzy ending, but overall it was a sweet and heartwarming story.

Sexual Content: A graphic sex scene Rating: 3/5

"ENCHANTED BY BLOOD" by Laurie London
The vampire and the party planner.

Trace Westfalen fell in love with Charlotte Grant last Christmas. Due to a traumatic discovery of "his kind", he wipes Charlotte's memory. Fate steps in and gives them a second chance at love. The chemistry between Trace and Charlotte sizzled off the pages and their "reunion" is as heady as spiced cider with a splash of rum.

"MONSTERS DON'T DO CHRISTMAS"by Michele Hauf
The vampire and the pop star.

Daniel Harrison had it all: money, shiny toys and a stellar career, until he was turned into a vampire. Olivia Adorata has it all: money, fame and no privacy but only wants to be "normal". This Christmas will bring these two together to find out that no matter what type of monster you are, monsters need love too. This is a Christmas story that will warm your heart, make your toes tingle and make you believe that risks are worth taking.

"WHEN HERALD ANGELS SING" by Caridad Pineiro
The vampire and guardian angel.

Angelina, a guardian angel, was sent to Earth to save Damien's soul but continues to fail. Damien can't forget the two reincarnations of Angelina. This Christmas, the vampire and the guardian angel must over come the man hell bent on claiming Damien's soul for eternity. This is a heartbreaking story of love, sacrifice, forgiveness and redemption.

"ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS" by Alexis Morgan
The vampire and the diner owner.

Eagan McHale is an undercover cop and to top it off, he's a vampire. Della Breit is a soft hearted, giving diner owner and puts others before herself. Eagan is investigating the disappearances of teenagers and what better way to keep an eye on the area than volunteering his Christmas decoration hanging skills? This story made me smile all the while eyeing my glitter glue, iron on letters, puffy paint and hot glue gun. Why you ask? Della is constantly wearing Christmas themed shirts. From the first line until the last, I laughed, sighed and felt the spirit of the season shine through the pages of this story.

***Review copy provided by Laurie London. Please note that the author providing the review copy DID NOT sway rating. I am a fan of Christmas themed book.***

Who would have thought that a vampire might be a good thing to find in your Christmas stocking? Or even better, helping you out of your Christmas stockings! In the new anthology, A Vampire for Christmas, with novellas from Laurie London, Michele Hauf, Caridad Piñeiro and Alexia Morgan, sometimes a vampire is just what a girl wants Santa to bring her for the holidays.

Like all collections, the stories vary in appeal.

Laurie London's "Enchanted by Blood" is for those who prefer their vamps to come complete with political machinations. Trace Westfalen has already given up his human lover Charlotte Grant once. And wiped her memories. All in the service of preserving the secret that vampires live among us. And in the interests of preserving his possible seat on the ruling council. Not to mention the secret of his nasty cousin's even nastier habits. However, when he finds Charlotte in trouble, he can't resist coming to her rescue. When he sticks around long enough to let her fall in love with him again in spite of her memory wipe (he never fell out) their troubles begin all over again. Will Trace decide that love is worth the cost?

Caridad Piñeiro's entry, "When Herald Angels Sing", is a Christmas redemption story with a twist. A guardian angel's assignment is to redeem the soul of a vampire. Little does she know that the vampire's task is to redeem her heart.

On the other hand, "All I Want for Christmas", by Alexis Morgan, has a very pronounced urban fantasy flavor. Everyone who frequents Della's Diner, from the fry cook to the customers to the punks who try to rip her off, seems to be some sort of supernatural creature. Including the cop investigating drugs and disappearances and finding himself wanting to sink his fangs into purely human Della.

My favorite story of the bunch was Michele Hauf's "Monsters Don't Do Christmas" for its terrific characters and very unusual take on who is and who isn't a real monster. Daniel Harrison is a vampire, but he's not the real monster of the story. The real monster is a purely mortal woman, who just so happens to be a superstar. I loved this story.

Escape Rating B: Collections are always mixed. Some of the stories work for me, and some don't. But that's the point, you discover someone or something new. For me it was Hauf's story. Her take, that the superstar machine creates a person who feels more of a monster than an actual monster, made the entire book.

A Vampire for Christmas, an Anthology
Authors: Laurie London, Michele Hauf, Caridad Pineiro, and Alexis Morgan

Synopsis: All they want for Christmas is you...

It's the time of year for twinkling lights on trees and kisses under the mistletoe. Yet the passing of another year means nothing to the stunning immortals who lurk in the shadows of the new-fallen snow.

And they don't care if you've been naughty or nice.

Let four fanged lovers open your eyes to a passion you never dared to imagine. After all, there's no place like home for the holidays--and these dazzling vampires can't wait for an invitation

Our Review [by a LITERAL ADDICTION Associate Guest Reviewer]:
A Vampire for Christmas is an anthology of paranormal romance all taking place over the holidays. What could be better than reading about four vampires looking for love at a time when love is overflowing in the human heart? Each novella has a deeper message; educating the reader on the human/vampire connection.

Enchanted by Blood, Laurie London's contribution, is set in a time when vampires are still struggling with identity and attempting to keep hidden from humans. Trace Westfalen is the leader of the Guardians in Seattle and spends much of his time trying to keep the peace in the city. Charlotte Grant is an interior designer who is hired by Trace's grandmother to decorate their home for Christmas. An affair develops between the two, and they fall in love. At a holiday party, however, Charlotte walks in on a vampire drinking blood from a guest and before she has a chance to react, Trace wipes away her memory. He, as a Guardian, is not allowed to be involved with a human and he is forced to walk away. A year later, Trace saves Charlotte from a group of rogue vampires and realizes how much he still loves her. What should he do? Should he follow his heart and try to win her love again?

Monsters Don't Do Christmas by Michele Hauf takes place in modern day New York. Daniel Harrison has been a vampire for only a year and is having a difficult time accepting his new lifestyle. Olivia Adorata is an independent woman who meets Daniel after she rescues him from some bully werewolves. She laughs when he tells her what he is, thinking he's an actor who gets his kicks by scaring women. He's gorgeous, ripped, and everything she wants in a guys... except he's a vampire - though that might be alright. Maybe being bitten by a handsome vamp wouldn't be so terrible? She invites him home, saying that he needs medical care, and is totally fascinated by him. He's totally fascinated with her as well, and can't believe that she is so accepting of him. Daniel has a great job, money, a fancy car - a life - but he lost it all when he was bitten. He calls himself a monster and can't accept what he's become. He doesn't want to celebrate Christmas or anything else. Olivia considers herself a monster as well - a talented upcoming singer who tries to hide during the day and live a quiet life - hiding from fame because she's a coward. Instead, she bakes cookies and goes around her neighborhood giving them out for the holidays. She can't accept what she is any more than Daniel can accept what he is, and they help each other come to terms with life and what it has to offer.

Caridad Pineiro's story, When Herald Angels Sing, is about love, redemption and guardian angels. The Archangel Raphael decides to save the soul of Damien - a turned vampire - who, despite a horrid childhood and miserable undead life, still tries to help his fellow man when he sees it is needed. Raphael sends guardian angel Angelina to help him make the necessary transformation but against rules, she falls in love with Damien and interferes in a dangerous situation to protect him. She is killed and returns to heaven humiliated and chastised by Raphael. This happens twice but Archangel Raphael is determined to save his soul so he sends Angelina down for a third and final time. She is to reveal who she is and explain why she is there. She is to help him accept his fate and not interfere in whatever is fated to happen. If she does interfere, she will be banished from heaven and become a human again. But Angelina, upon seeing Damien again, realizes how much she loves him and is not sure if she wants them to return to heaven or stay on earth and love each other eternally.

The last novella, All I Want for Christmas by Alexis Morgan is a tale where vampires are number one on the food chain and humans come in last. Eagan McHale was born a vamp and takes it seriously. He is a policeman whose job it is to keep vamps and werewolves under control; to keep them away from the human population. In a crime spree where vamps are paying humans to feed on them, Eagan uses a local diner, owned by Della, as a post to keep an eye on what's going on in the streets. He is instantly attracted to Della's warm heart, humanitarian ways and home cooking. But, she's human, and he does not want to get involved. He doesn't want to drink the blood of a human woman and to him, that's a big part of lovemaking. But being in the diner every night makes his desire grow stronger, especially when he realizes she feels the same way about him. But a dangerous situation changes everything and in this fast paced, quick-wit story, having to tell Della the truth opens up a whole can of worms.

Over all in this antho, love conquers all and the collection is bright, sparkly and festive as it should be.

LITERAL ADDICTION's Associate Guest Reviewer gives A Vampire for Christmas 4 1/2 Skulls.

Review by Joanne (Book Monster Guest Reviewer)

A Vampire for Christmas is a classic collection of love stories set in the world's happiest holiday of all. What could be better than to read about four vampires looking for love at a time when love is overflowing in the human heart? Each story teaches us something different about the human/vampire connection.
Enchanted by Blood by Laurie London is set in a time when vampires were still struggling with identity and attempting to set up rules to help them keep the truth from humans. Trace Westfalen was the leader of the Guardians in Seattle and spent much of his time trying to keep the peace amongst the angry vampires in the city. Charlotte Grant was a house decorator who is hired by Trace's grandmother to decorate their home for Christmas. An affair develops between Trace and Charlotte and they fall in love. But, at a holiday party, Charlotte walks in on a vampire drinking blood from a guest. Before she has a chance to react, Trace wipes away her memory of everything and everyone and walks away. He, as a Guardian, is not allowed to be involved with a human so now is the right time to walk away. A year later, Trace saves Charlotte from being attacked by a group of renegade vampires and realizes how much he still loves her. What should he do? Should he follow his heart and try to win her love again?

Monsters Don't Do Christmas by Michele Hauf, takes place in modern day New York City. Daniel Harrison has been a vampire for only a year and is having a difficult time accepting his new lifestyle. Olivia Adorata is an independent woman who meets Daniel after she scares off werewolves from beating him up. She laughs when he tells her what he is; she thinks he's an actor who gets his kicks by trying to scare women into believing he is a vampire. He was gorgeous, built like a model and, being a modern woman, if he was a vampire, well, it didn't seem to bother her at all. Maybe being bitten by a handsome vamp wouldn't be so terrible? So she invites him home using the excuse that he needs medical care. She is totally fascinated by what he is and he's totally fascinated that she is so accepting of him. Daniel had a great job, money, a fancy car - a life - and he lost it all when he was bitten. He calls himself a monster and can't accept what he's become. He doesn't want to celebrate Christmas or anything else. Olivia considers herself a monster - a talented upcoming singer who tries to hide during the day and live a quiet life - hiding from fame because she doesn't have the courage to go all the way with her career. Instead, she bakes cookies and at Christmas, goes around her neighborhood giving them out. She can't accept what she is any more than Daniel can accept what he is. Can they help each other come to terms with life and what it has in store for them?

What better time than Christmas to write a story about total love, redemption and guardian angels. Caridad Pineiro thought it was the perfect time and dives right in. In When Herald Angels Sing, the Archangel Raphael decides to save the soul of Damien - a human turned vampire - who, despite a horrid childhood and a miserable life as a vampire, still tries to help his fellow man when he sees it is needed. Raphael sends guardian angel Angelina to help him make the necessary transformation but against rules, she falls in love with Damien and interferes in a dangerous situation to protect him. She is killed and returns to heaven humiliated and chastised by Raphael. This happens twice but Archangel Raphael is determined to save his soul so he sends Angelina down for a third and final time. She is to reveal who she is and explain why she is there. She is to help him accept his fate and not interfere in whatever is fated to happen. If she does interfere, she will be banished from heaven and become a human again. But Angelina, upon seeing Damien again, realizes how much she loves him and is not sure if she wants them to return to heaven or stay on earth and love each other eternally.

On the other end of the spectrum is All I Want for Christmas by Alexis Morgan in a tale where vampires are number one on the food chain and humans come in last. Eagan McHale was born a vamp and takes it seriously. He is a policeman whose job it is to keep vamps and werewolves under control; to keep them away from the human population. In a crime spree where vamps are paying humans to feed on them, Eagan uses a local diner, owned by Della, as a post to keep an eye on what's going on in the streets. He is instantly attracted to Della's warm heart, humanitarian ways and home cooking. But, she's human, and he does not want to get involved. He doesn't want to drink the blood of a human woman and to him, that's a big part of lovemaking. But being in the diner every night makes his desire grow stronger, especially when he realizes she feels the same way about him. But a dangerous situation changes everything and in this fast paced, quick-wit story, having to tell Della the truth opens up a whole can of worms.

But love conquers all, as it should be, in this book and this collection of stories gives us love in every possible form and brightens up our holiday spirit to the fullest.

I give "A Vampire For Christmas" 4 Stars.

May contain some spoilers

Okay. I have to say that I'm probably not the right person to read short stories. There's usually not enough time for the character development or to concentrate on the plot. And that's pretty much why I didn't like so much about this book. I just wish there had been more to the plot, so I really wasn't left satisfied. No matter how much "action" in the book. That's why I'm having trouble with writing a review, because these stories left me kind of empty. So I will be writing only about the first story.

Enchanted by Blood by Laurie London (SweetBlood #2.5)

There's basically two main characters, Trace and Charlotte. They were involved, but Trace wiped Charlotte's memory, because he's about to start his job in a vampire council. And because his dad told him not to do people.
Then they meet again, and they get involved, again.

That's about everything there happened. I actually did like the beginning, when Trace saved Charlotte from the trouble, but after that it was just.. white noise. Nothing really happened. As I said, this whole book left me kind of empty, so.. there's nothing really to say. Which is sad, 'cause I really liked the idea of vampires mixing with Christmas, but it didn't work out so well.

Love,
Monaliz @ Mind Reading?